12 The Sorting Ceremony

The door opened, and the new students followed Professor McGonagall in a single file, entering the world's highest building, Burj Khalifa, oops, I mean, the Great Hall. They could see four long tables arranged in the massive hall, and students from other years were seated all around. The walls were adorned with banners of different colours: green serpent, blue eagle, red lion, and yellow badger. But what was most surprising and magical was the ceiling, which was like a velvety black night sky, dotted with twinkling stars. Ghosts were also mingling with the students, emitting a faint silver glow.

Hermione whispered in a tone that seemed afraid to disturb something, "I read about this in 'Hogwarts: A History'..."

Kevin nodded. This was the style of the ceiling in the Great Hall—it appeared as if there was no ceiling. At the end of the Great Hall was a row of professors' tables, where the teachers sat in a line. Although Kevin had never met them before, he could recognise Dumbledore, the old wizard who resembled Gandalf, sitting in the middle. He was taller than others and had a long white beard that extended all the way to the tabletop. He appeared quite old but was in good spirits. Sitting next to him was Severus Snape, with greasy hair and a constantly gloomy expression. Filius Flitwick, who looked like a half-goblin with his head wrapped, was also there, and so was Quirrell.

The characters from the novel and movies appeared one by one before his eyes. Even though Kevin was an adult, he couldn't help but feel a bit excited.

Professor McGonagall held a piece of parchment and spoke loudly, "Students whose names I call, please come forward, sit on the stool, and put on the hat."

She was interrupted by another voice before she could finish. The sorting hat on the high stool wriggled a bit, and the folds on its surface turned into eyes and a mouth, and it began to sing:

"This is a legend that has lasted for thousands of years, describing four powerful and wise wizards. Brave Gryffindor, from the desolate moor; beautiful Ravenclaw, from the tranquil lake; kind Hufflepuff, from the vast valley; and cunning Slytherin, from that marshland, vowed to share their lifelong knowledge, and witches and wizards came from afar, making the great ambition come true, until this castle stood by the Black Lake."

The young witches and wizards were naturally stunned, seeing a hat that could sing for the first time.

Kevin half-heartedly clapped his hands. "Not bad, but don't sing next time."

Professor McGonagall, who had seen it all, was not surprised. After the song, she began to read the list: "Hannah Abbott?"

"Here."

When the sorting hat reached the top of Hannah's head, it took only four or five seconds to make a decision.

"Hufflepuff!"

Hufflepuff's badgers welcomed her with applause. Before taking her seat, Hannah waved to Kevin, whom she had met during the summer vacation. The next names called were Susan Bones, Terry Boot, and so on, all familiar names. Each person's sorting took a different amount of time; some were sorted as soon as they put on the hat, while others took a minute or two.

Kevin couldn't help but feel a bit nervous; after all, the sorting hat surely had some Legilimency and character-reading abilities.

"Kevin Green!"

Not long after Hermione Granger was sorted into Gryffindor, it was Kevin's turn. He walked confidently towards the four-legged stool, hoping to fool the hat that claimed to have thoughts.

Professor McGonagall glanced at Kevin, clearly impressed with him. Among this year's students, he was the poorest. Kevin nodded back at her and sat on the stool.

As the dirty hat was placed on his soft black hair, Kevin felt a little uncomfortable. He adjusted the hat as discreetly as possible, trying to avoid it touching his skin.

The Sorting Hat began its inner monologue: "Hmm, I can sense your talents. Such powerful magic is rare among wizards your age. Now, which house should I place you in? It's quite challenging, as if there is a force influencing me from being able to understand you."

Upon hearing this, Kevin subtly adjusted the concealment aspect of his Occlumency to reveal a hint of himself. In that split second, the Sorting Hat felt a little bewildered.

"Hmm, wait! I sense your intelligence, your pursuit of knowledge, and your ability to handle all kinds of problems skillfully. So, you should be placed in—"

"Ravenclaw!" the Sorting Hat shouted, its voice clear and strong.

The Great Hall was filled with polite applause, but the Ravenclaw girls clapped genuinely. Kevin's arrival meant that their house now had a handsome new addition.

Professor McGonagall couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that Kevin hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor. After all, she admired this self-reliant young man.

Kevin waved to Harry and the others before sitting at the Ravenclaw table. As he made his way, several students nodded or welcomed him.

Ron, who was among the crowd, whispered to Harry, "Too bad Kevin didn't get sorted into Gryffindor!"

Harry whispered back, "It doesn't change anything; we can still be friends, right?"

After Kevin took his seat, he felt a sense of relief. He had successfully deceived the Sorting Hat, ensuring that it didn't detect his secret of being reborn. This indicated that the Occlumency's concealment effect was effective, and he didn't need to worry too much about Dumbledore.

As for why he chose Ravenclaw, it was related to his pursuit of knowledge. The name "Ravenclaw" itself was synonymous with "Raven's Greed" and hinted at a desire for knowledge. Ravenclaw's motto was: "We come from the lakeside; we are wise and learned; we love to research; we are different from others; we have vision; we are Ravenclaw." The founder of the house, Rowena Ravenclaw, also had a famous saying: "Extraordinary intelligence is humanity's greatest wealth." For a wizard in the arcane magic system, it was self-evident that knowledge equaled power. Thus, among the four houses at Hogwarts, Ravenclaw was the most aligned with Kevin's philosophy.

Unfortunately, Ravenclaw had a relatively weak presence in the original work. Even worse, there were no outstanding students mentioned as belonging to the house. The trio of protagonists were all from Gryffindor, and the most exceptional professors at Hogwarts came from Gryffindor, including Dumbledore and McGonagall. The Dark Arts master Voldemort hails from Slytherin, while the Potions master Snape also comes from Slytherin. If Grindelwald had studied at Hogwarts, Kevin was certain he would have been sorted into Slytherin as well. As for the Triwizard Tournament champion, Cedric Diggory, he was a Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw didn't seem to have any renowned individuals except for Luna Lovegood, and the other notable figure from Ravenclaw was Cho Chang, who was famous as Harry Potter's former girlfriend. In the end, Ravenclaw's reputation was more show than substance. However, Ravenclaw also had many beautiful girls, so at least Kevin didn't have to worry about finding a partner here.

Just as Kevin was deep in thought, a burst of cheering interrupted his reverie.

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If Harry Potter had attended university, how would he be sorted?

"Harry Potter!"

Harry stepped forward and sat on the stool, while Professor McGonagall placed the oversized sorting hat on his head.

"Ah, very brave, very wise... I think you'd be well-suited for material science," the Sorting Hat's voice echoed inside Harry's mind.

"Don't pick material science. Don't pick material science." Harry silently pleaded.

"But since you've made up your mind, then civil engineering it is!"

At the same time, Professor McGonagall announced the result, and Harry seemed to collapse to the floor as if his soul had been sucked away.